Will You Keep My Secret?
by scootalooisawesome
Summary: Scootaloo has a secret, and she wants Rainbow Dash to keep it. PLEASE READ THE REVIEWS TO SEE WHAT IS REALLY SUPPOSED TO BE SAID IN CHAPTER SIX! FANFICTION SCREWED IT UP ROYALLY!
1. Chapter 1

Will You Keep My Secret?

**Chapter One**

**The Secret**

The serene midday weather that enveloped the town called Ponyville could lift anyone's spirits, and it usually did. But on this particular day, a lonely, orange pegasus filly wheeled down the side paths on the outskirts of town. This peculiar filly does something no other pony ever does; she uses her wings to propel her forward on a scooter.

But on this day, she kept her wings snapped shut at her sides, not even wanting to look at them. She rolled her way around using her legs, like all other ponies. She kept her head hung, watching each individual pebble disappear underneath her blue scooter.

She had kept this swaying motion that propelled her forward, and her head hung the way they were for what seemed like hours. This motion was the only thing that she could focus on other than her thoughts. Earlier that day, Diamond Tiara crossed the line. She had actually convinced their entire class to create a wall of themselves in front of the filly, and trap her from behind by one of the outside walls of the school.

They had taunted her, called her names, and teased her with words that conveyed a simple message. She could not fly. She could not fly and she should be ashamed to call herself a pegasus for it. What kind of pegasus can't fly? A pegasus foal, of course, you must be a foal! This general form of teasing went on for ages, the other fillies relentlessly bombarded her with harsh words that, when thought about, were basically true. The only reason they had stopped was because the bell rang to come in from recess, but the damage had been done.

The only thought flowing through the filly's mind was escape. Get out of this wretched place and find somewhere safe to hide. That is what she was focused on now, but that had been a few hours ago. She was riding around aimlessly, zombified and stupid looking. She didn't really care if anyone was around; she was too busy with her thoughts.

Whilst immersed in the great, swelling sea of her psyche, she failed to notice a certain cyan mare hovering above her. She had been that way for at least five minutes, simply watching the orange filly go. The mare decided to speak up to snap her friend out of her trance.

"Hey Squirt, whatcha doin'?" were the simple words spoken, but they were enough to catch her attention. "Squirt" jumped three feet in the air, landing on the gravel with an audible thud.

"Eh, hi, Rainbow Dash." Said "Squirt". She hadn't the energy required to muster an enthusiastic response. She normally answered to Dash's greetings with stammered-out, half sentences that required a lot of energy to draw out. Her weak reply was met with a worried look from Dash. Something was wrong, and she was going to find out what it was.

"What's the matter, Scootaloo? Normally when I say 'hi' to you, you bounce off the walls. Everything okay?" Said Dash with a wry smile.

"Huh?" Asked Scootaloo, relieved to hear her name accompanied with compassionate words. It had only been a week and a half since their camping trip where they became sisters, so she was still getting used to Dash calling her one.

"Yeah, I'm fine, nothing is wrong." Said Scootaloo, truly trying her best to wear a smile. She failed miserably, and Dash picked up on this. The cyan mare gave her new sister a disappointed frown, and looked into those large purple eyes and tried to set things straight.

"You think I was born yesterday? I may not be an egg-head, but I'm not stupid. I know when a pony is having a tough time so out with it." Said Dash, finding a sad look plastered on her sister's face. Scootaloo sighed, resigning herself before Dash's wisdom.

"Some of the other fillies at school were making fun of me for not being able to fly, and they didn't stop until I couldn't hear myself think anymore. I just want to fly, to prove them wrong and show them that I'm…I'm not some worthless foal." Said Scootaloo, spilling the beans and hoping that her sister could help.

"Okay, first of all, you are not worthless," Said Dash "I wouldn't call you my sister if you were worthless. And where were your friends?"

Scootaloo's face turned downward "Well, Applebloom's grandma is sick, and she needs to be there for her, and Sweetie Belle and Rarity are in Canterlot for a vacation."

"Oh" Started Dash. She knew Rarity was gone, but didn't know Sweetie Belle went with. "So…you still can't fly? Aren't your parents teaching you or anything?" Asked Dash. Scootaloo reeled back before regaining her composure and forming a few sentences.

"No, they…they aren't. They d-don't have time to…to teach me how, so, I'm kinda on my own right now. They're always super busy, and they're rarely home at the same time." Said Scootaloo, trying her best to be convincing.

_She's not telling me something, and I'm going to figure out what. _Thought Dash. She was getting impatient with Scootaloo, but she knew that you needed to take stuff like this slowly. After Dash had said she would be Scootaloo's sister, she went to Applejack and Rarity for advice. They had helped her along and shown her everything they knew; now it's time to use some of those techniques. She left the subject of Scootaloo's parents where it was and started somewhere else.

"Hmm, your parents can't teach you?" Said Dash, pondering her next move. A smile lit her face up when the idea came to mind. "Scootaloo, since your parents aren't teaching you, I will. I could use something to occupy myself with". Said Dash, taking note of the ear-to-ear grin that spread across the smaller pegasi's face.

"Really?! You'd teach _me _how to fly? You'd do that for _me_?" Asked Scootaloo, amazed at the speed of the 180 degree turn their relationship took.

"Well sure, that is what you wanted me to do, right?" Asked Dash

"Yeah, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon. I mean, I'm probably just another fan to you." Said Scootaloo, hoping her words were not true in Dash's mind. The older mare walked up close to Scootaloo and offered some encouraging words.

"Nopony I take on as a sister is just another fan. Let me tell you something. The thing that sets you apart from all of my many fans is that while all of you _want _to be me, you are the only one actually _trying _to be me." Dash elaborated. "I never mention this, but when I finish clearing the sky, I would go to the last cloud, lay on it, and before I take a nap, I'd watch you scoot around town, doing awesome tricks and stunts, completely throwing caution to the wind while doing them. You are the only pony in all of my years of awesomeness that does that."

Scootaloo eyes widened as she realized how far into her sister's life she was. She hadn't known how much Dash had admired her. She still didn't know, but she now knew that it had to be a heck of a lot more than she does all of her other fans. The idea of Scootaloo's idol looking upon her with these feelings filled her heart with pride and joy. She looked up at her sister, and saw that the feelings in their hearts were the same. However, Dash's next few words completely shattered her sense of peace.

"There's just one thing before I can teach you how to fly, I need your parent's permission." Said Dash, unintentionally stamping out what hope and happiness Scootaloo had into dust.

"Wh-What? Why do you need my parent's permission to teach me something?" Asked Scootaloo, searching for any logical reason, but to no avail.

"Because, it's part of the Pegasus Code, duh. Pegasus Code dictates that it's a parent's duty to teach their fillies how to fly, but there can be an exception. If a parent is unable to teach their filly how to fly, then they can hire somepony to do it." Elaborated Dash.

"We don't really need to do that code stuff, do we? I mean, I'm sure they'd be okay with it." Said Scootaloo, trying to convince Dash to put away the Pegasus Code just this one time.

"We have to follow it. The Unicorns and the Earth Ponies have their codes, and they follow them. So we have to follow ours as well." Said Dash, not giving up her search for what was wrong.

"W-Well I don't think they can give permission right now, they are way too busy with all their stuff. In fact neither of them are home right now." Lied Scootaloo, further entrenching herself, hoping Dash would just give up. But Dash was relentless, and was getting tired of Scootaloo's lies. She had had enough and decided to get to the bottom of this.

"Scootaloo, I told you, I'm not stupid. Something is wrong, and as your sister I need to know what it is so I can fix it. If your parents can't teach you, or give me permission to teach you, then I guess you're on your own". Said Dash. She really didn't want to say stuff like that to her sister, but she needed a way in, and this is how Scootaloo was going open the door. She turned her back and spread her wings to seal the deal, effectively provoking an answer.

"Wait, Rainbow Dash!" Said Scootaloo. Her walls were broken, and she had given up the fight. She'd have to tell Dash or she would never fly. Dash turned her face upward as she found her ticket in. She folded her wings in and listened.

"Do you promise not to tell anypony if I tell you why?" Asked Scootaloo, hoping Dash would return. Dash turned, her smile gone, replaced with a more serious look.

"Why do I need to promise you not tell anypony? What's this big secret?" Asked Dash, now concerned for her safety.

"Just promise me, and then I'll tell you." Responded Scootaloo.

"Okay fine, I promise not to tell anypony your secret, so out with it." Dash realized just a bit too late that the tone she had used was not very convincing, and she kicked herself in her mind for doing so.

Scootaloo's eyes narrowed, she would need more than that. "Pinkie promise not to tell." Said Scootaloo. Dash sighed and straightened herself up.

"Okay, I promise not to tell anypony your secret. Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a cupcake in my eye. Now will you please tell me what's going on?" Said Dash, using the proper tone to convey sincerity. Scootaloo sighed again, and began. She had never told anyone this secret, so it was going to be difficult to get out. But she needed it out or she will stay on the ground forever.

"Okay, the reason my parents can't teach me, or give you permission to teach me is because…because…" Started Scootaloo. This was going to be tougher than she thought, but she pushed on. "because I…don't…have…parents.." There, it was out. She hoped it had been loud enough.

"What? I can't hear you. What's up with your parents?" Asked Dash, provoking her sister to tell her. Dash had actually heard what she said, but she couldn't believe it so she sought clarification.

"I said I don't…have…parents." Said Scootaloo, wishing she could stop being such a crybaby and tell her sister outright.

"Seriously, you need to speak up, I can't hear a word you're saying." Said Dash, her voice cracking at the last syllable.

"I SAID I DON'T HAVE…parents." Said Scootaloo, effectively communicating her lifelong secret. Scootaloo looked down, suddenly taking an interest in her hooves.

"O-Oh, okay. So…*sigh*…so that's why." Said Dash. Looking at her sister made her upset at herself for causing so much tension. "Sorry I asked."

"I-It's okay, you weren't going to teach me how to fly if I didn't tell you." Said Scootaloo, looking up at her sister to find a strangely empathetic expression. "I've been living at the Sunny Side Orphanage on the other side of Ponyville for pretty much all of my life. It's not too bad, the matrons are nice enough, but, I want to live somewhere else." Said Scootaloo, barely managing to keep back a stray tear.

"Humph," Said Dash "well I guess since I'm your only family, the decision is mine to make. And you know what Scootaloo? I've decided to get you flying by the end of next week!" Dash struck a pose and thought of the future.

The orange pegasi's face lit up. She had told her secret, sure, but now she will have a flight teacher. She will finally get to fly.

_**Hey Guys, thanks for reading. I know that this kind of story has really been beaten into the ground, but I just read all of the stuff you guys write and I want to write my own. Please review and tell me what you think! I will try to add chapters as soon as I am finished with them. Bai!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**The Lesson**

There was a large oak tree in the middle of a field, and was surrounded by many others. However, this particular oak tree was different from its siblings. It had two pegasi conversing underneath it. The older one was cyan and had hair of six colors, and the younger was orange with a deep magenta mane. This day marked a huge milestone in their relationship; today was the day the older would begin teaching the younger how to fly.

"Alright Scootaloo, since I'm your only family, I guess the decision is up to me!" Said the older mare, striking a pose that lit up Scootaloo's face "And I have decided that I'm going to have you flying by the end of next week, starting now!"

Scootaloo was a bit taken aback; her idol wanted to start now? She still could not believe how close they had gotten in such a short time. "O-Okay, Rainbow Dash, I guess we could start now, but why so soon?"

"Well we need to start soon so you can fly soon" said Dash "this sort of thing takes perseverance. You won't just wake up one day and fly, you need to practice. Let's start with you showing me how long you can stay airborne."

Scootaloo slowly unfolded her wings. They had been bolted shut for hours, so they were a bit stiff. She shook them out and began beating them fiercely like a hummingbird. She jumped in the air and stayed there for just over three seconds before slowly descending to the ground. The orange filly looked down, thinking that this was a hopeless endeavor, but Dash persisted, she was not going to give up on her.

"Hmm, you should be able to stay in the air for longer than that at your age," said Dash, provoking a distressed look from her sister "here, let me see your wings".

"Wh-What? What's wrong with my wings?" asked Scootaloo, fearing the worst. She lifted her left wing, and Dash took it in her hooves. She inspected it for a moment before finding the problem.

"Oooh, yeah see, that's why, right there" said Dash causing Scootaloo to turn back and look at her.

"What's wrong…are they broken?!" she asked, her dreams of soaring through the air crushed.

"No, they aren't broken, It's just that the muscles in your wings are developing wrong" Said Dash, taking the other wing in her hooves, finding the same problem inverted "see here, these muscles" she pointed to the front underside of her wing "are really small, and weak. The same thing is on the other side too. But here, look at these ones" she pointed to the back underside of the wing "are wicked strong" Dash took a moment to ponder the reasons, quickly finding the solution.

"My guess is that is why you are able to go so fast on your scooter, and you can't stay off the ground for long," said Dash "you've grown your muscles for scootering, not flying." Dash paused; this was a bit much for Scootaloo.

"Wh-What does that mean, though?" asked Scootaloo.

"It means that you riding your scooter all the time has adapted your wings to riding a scooter, and hasn't allowed your flight muscles to grow" said Dash "your wings aren't really built for flying anymore, the muscles needed to get off the ground are mostly unused, and instead the muscles for scootering are strong. Here's another thing, try turning your wings all the way forward"

Dash turned her wings all the way forward, only able to point the top side downward a little bit. Scootaloo did this, and found that she could point the top side downward almost all the way. This surprised Dash; she hadn't known just how much Scootaloo's wings had adapted for her scooter.

"Woah, yeah see? There's another thing. You shouldn't be able to do that. See how I have mine? I can't turn them that far" Said Dash, a worried look adorned both of their faces "here, I want to see something else"

Dash walked over to the little blue scooter propped up against the tree, picked it up, and set it down in front of Scootaloo.

"Okay, now what I want you to do is get into a start position, okay?" said Dash. Scootaloo climbed on, getting into position. Scootaloo put her front legs up onto the handle bars, and pointed her wings the way she normally has them. She never noticed that her body, almost fully upright, was parallel with her wings being pointed all the way behind her.

The concept of her skill on her scooter being her handicap finally crystalized in her head, and a single tear streaked down her face. Dash saw how Scootaloo had her body positioned, along with the tear, and tried calming her down.

"Hey, this is something we are trying to fix, and we haven't even started fixing it yet," said Dash "there are going to be contrasts from here to the end. So with that in mind, stay strong and we'll get there, okay?"

Scootaloo calmed down enough to co-operate, and narrowed her eyes. "Okay Rainbow Dash, I'll be strong. Let's just get this done, okay?"

Rainbow Dash was surprised with how easy that was. She was proud of herself in the way she was able to calm her sister. She had never been the touchy-feely compassionate type, so the idea of her being able to do set her sister at ease filled her heart with pride.

"Alright then, let's do this. You start going on your scooter, and I'll hold on like this so you don't go anywhere" said Dash, putting her hoof down on the front of the scooter. Scootaloo nodded, and began flapping her wings.

Dash severely underestimated Scootaloo's strength. Before she knew it they were five yards away, with Rainbow Dash still holding onto the scooter. She got up, dusting herself off and thanking Celestia she wasn't hurt too bad.

"Ohmygosh! Rainbow Dash, I'm so, so sorry, I didn't mean to do that!" apologized Scootaloo, thankful that her sister wasn't too scraped up. Rainbow Dash laughed it off, and winced as she touched a purple bruise appearing on her foreleg.

"It's okay I've been through worse, and besides, that was my fault. I should have been holding on harder" Said Dash, wincing again as she touched another bruise. "But that wasn't a failure, there. See, now we know where all of your wing power is going. My guess is that if you never even touched a scooter you'd be flying almost as fast as me by now."

Scootaloo's face lit up at the concept. Her wings weren't broken, they were just…misused. She began hating herself for jumping the gun on acquiring speed so early. When she found the scooter she currently used, she wasn't that fast. But she began using her wings and they granted really high speeds. She had been riding her scooter every single day since then, and she was mad at herself for it. Something else was a problem here, and it took a minute to find out what it was.

"Rainbow Dash, how come you know so much about flight training?" asked Scootaloo, wanting to know if she had done it before.

"Oh, that?" Started Dash "Oh it's nothing, I was just a coach at a flight camp for a few years when I was younger"

Scootaloo's face fell, knowing that for one, Dash had the tools needed for teaching her how to fly this whole time, and that she was not her first. "Oh," Said Scootaloo "ho-how many have you trained?"

"Oh, too many to count" started Dash. She picked up on her sister's real question, and answered. "But don't worry, none of them even come close to you."

Scootaloo's looked up, and Dash tousled her mane. She was really getting the hang of this comforting thing. She felt at this point that she could calm any emotional storm.

"Okay" started Dash "we're down to something called an ultimatum. You have to decide between two things, and you can't have both." Dash inhaled deeply and sighed slowly, preparing herself for the decision she was about to force Scootaloo make. "You can either stop scootering altogether, and learn to fly, or you can keep scootering, and most likely never fly."

Scootaloo's world was shattered. Before today, she didn't know that the thing she loved doing most was keeping her from doing the thing she wanted to do most. "I…I…I don't know which one to choose. Riding my scooter is just what I do, I can't just stop. But at the same time, I want to fly, up in the clouds, and be free. I want to fly with you, and get close to you as you teach me. I can't have both?" She really hoped she could, but knew she couldn't

"I'm sorry Scootaloo," apologized Dash "but no, you can't have both. In order to start flying, you need to grow the muscles needed for it, and shrink the muscles you use for your scooter. I'm really sorry Scootaloo, but you have to decide between one or the other." Rainbow Dash looked at her sister and saw the amount of turmoil she was going through.

"I…I don't know what to do" said Scootaloo "I want to fly so bad, but riding my scooter is one of few things I'm good at". A few tears streaked down her face as the full realization of her situation fully settled in. This was going to be the hardest decision she ever had to make, but she was happy that Rainbow Dash was there to help her every step of the way.

_**Okay, I don't think I've ever heard of this argument for Scootaloo's inability to fly anywhere, so I hope you enjoyed the idea. I actually had this chapter at like 2500 words, but decided to cut it in half and create a new chapter so I can update this story sooner. I hope to have the third finished soon, so stay tuned!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**The Sleep-Over**

A red sky hung over the two pegasi. The older mare looked up and saw Celestia's sun beginning to set. She yawned and just stared at the horizon. This was too big of a decision for her sister to make in an instant. A smile spread across her face as another idea popped into her mind.

"Well Scootaloo, it's pretty late, I'm gonna call it a day. We'll pick this up where we left off tomorrow when you've had a chance to sleep on it, okay?" said the cyan mare, tousling her sister's purple mane again.

"Alright, I'll think about it tonight, thanks for the flight lesson Rainbow Dash, see ya!" said Scootaloo, hopping onto her scooter. She was about to start going when Dash placed a hoof on the front end of the scooter, making sure to not let her go this time.

"Hey before you go, I have a question" started Dash. Scootaloo looked up at her sister with inquisitive eyes.

"Uh sure, what do you need to know?" She asked

"I was just wondering, do you have to ask for permission from one of the matrons to have a sleep-over or something at somepony else's house?" asked Dash, having a little fun with her proposition.

"Uh…normally, yeah, but they make an exception with me" Said Scootaloo, pondering Dash's reasons for her question "I have sleepovers with the other Crusaders like every other day, so they kinda got used to me just not showing up. Why do you ask?"

The smile on Dash's face only grew larger, and began to hurt a bit. She was really starting to enjoy inspiring hope in her sister's eyes.

"Well in that case, why don't you come stay with me?" asked Dash "That way you can decide and tell me what it is you want to do as soon as possible. If you pick flight, I'd need to put a training regimen together. It's been a while since I've made one, so I might need some time."

The entire time Dash explained her proposition she had a pose struck and her eyes to the sky in her normal braggy fashion. She had an idea of what her sister's face looked like, but it didn't prepare her for the massive smile on the hopeful little filly's face she saw when she looked down.

"R-Really? A s-sleep-over at…at y-your house?" asked Scootaloo. She supposed she should just get used to Rainbow Dash doing this sort of thing; she would only be continually amazed by her sister's willingness to get closer to her.

"Sure, it'd be fun! All I have is Tank to keep me company, so It'd be a nice to have somepony else in my house for a change" said Dash, loving every minute of their mutual adoration for one another. "Why don't we race there? It's just a straight shot in that direction" said Dash, pointing in the direction of her house.

Scootaloo put on a challenging smile, climbed aboard her trusty scooter, and got into her starting position. Dash got into hers, and on the count of three, the two were off. Again, Rainbow Dash severely underestimated her sister's wing power, and was soon literally left in the dust. She promptly got up and took off after her.

Scootaloo might be fast, but Dash was much faster, rapidly closing the distance between the two. She could see her floating house in the distance, and quickened the pace. Scootaloo saw it too, and did the same.

Dash was closing in on her sister, and she made sure not to pass her too quickly. She didn't want to show her up, but then again, she didn't want to lose. As the two racing pegasi were almost to the cloud home, Dash tackled Scootaloo off of her scooter, forcing the two to land in a pile with the blue scooter off to the side.

They were both completely out of breath so it was a miracle that they were both laughing and giggling the way they were. They got up off of each other and dusted themselves off. They walked to a nearby tree and set the scooter up against it, and hung the purple helmet on the handlebars. As they were re-approaching the house, Rainbow Dash grabbed her sister and soared up onto her front porch.

The older mare was about to set the filly down when she latched onto the cyan mare's neck.

"Wait, Rainbow Dash! I can't fly!" said Scootaloo, firmly clamped onto her sister's neck. Rainbow Dash pried her off and set her down. To Scootaloo's surprise, she stayed on the cloud. It was a strange feeling, something she'd never felt before. The cloud underneath her hooves gave a little, but stayed firm, and was a bit springy.

"Just because you can't fly doesn't mean you aren't a pegasus, do you think newborn pegasi need to be held all the time?" said Dash, taking Scootaloo's concern lightly. The younger filly giggled and took her first actual step forward on a cloud, and a smile spread across her face.

"This is amazing! It's like walking on a super springy bed!" exclaimed Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash just giggled at her sister's amazement.

"Yeah, I've kinda gotten used to it, so I don't really notice how awesome clouds are to live on anymore" said Dash, walking to the front door and opening it. The two walked inside to find what looked like the site of an explosion.

There were clumps of cloud missing from walls, one of the drapes was half chewed away, and the other completely gone. There was what looked like a couch cut in half, with another clump of cloud in the form of the missing half of it stuck to the ceiling. The countertops were mushed to the floor, and a lame excuse for a coffee table looked like it was about to collapse any second. To wrap it all up, what looked like a lone green rock was laying in the corner, completely oblivious to the world.

"TAAAANK!" yelled Dash, her eyes ablaze "What did you do?! I just barely fixed all of this yesterday when you tore it up." The cyan mare walked over to the green rock that now had a head poking out one of the holes and picked it up. "Ugh, what am I going to do with you?"

Scootaloo snickered, barely able to contain a fit of the giggles.

"What's so funny?" asked Dash, eyeing her sister with a challenging gaze.

"Nothing it's just…" started Scootaloo, barely able to annunciate with the dam holding her giggles in completely broken "it's just that you're talking to a turtle that messed up your house!"

"He's a tortoise" grumbled Dash, soon falling victim to her sister's contagious laughs. After a few minutes of the two cackling uncontrollably, the older mare finally straightened up enough to form a few sentences.

"Just shut up and help me clean up this mess, okay?" said Dash. The young filly straightened up with a salute. The two chortled for a few seconds before beginning their clean-up of Dash's living room.

After a few minutes of "Where does this go?" and "Where did that go?" and "What did that used to be?" the two were finished. Dash comedically shot Tank a death glare that set the two pegasi off again. The tortoise simply blinked; seemingly unaware of anything that happens around him as usual.

"Alright, now that we have my house sorted, how about I go grab some pizza? You okay with keeping Tank company for a few minutes?" asked Dash, walking to her front door.

"Uhh, sure. I want extra cheese on my pizza!" replied Scootaloo who had climbed up on top of Tank's shell and was riding him around.

Dash giggled again at the sight, and bid farewell. She closed the front door, leaving the pony and the tortoise alone. Scootaloo decided to go for her own tour of her sister's house. She knew she shouldn't be snooping around, but she was curious and bored.

She returned to the living room after wandering about for a few minutes to find Tank in exactly the same position he was in when she left. He blinked his eyes at her, and she rolled her eyes at him. She went back to sitting on the newly formed couch and put together this mental map of Rainbow Dash's house.

She was surprised to find that, while the outside of Rainbow Dash's house was quite extravagant, the inside was simple, and looked as though it was nothing more than an ordinary one bedroom apartment.

At that moment the smell of freshly baked pizza wafted from seemingly all directions. Rainbow Dash burst through the door and struck one of her signature poses.

"Dinner is served!" said Dash, setting the single cardboard box of pizza on the coffee table and opening it "Hope Tank wasn't too much trouble" she joked, plopping down on the couch next to Scootaloo.

"Not really, in fact he barely moved" said Scootaloo, grabbing a slice of pizza. The two chewed in silence for the next few minutes. After almost finishing the crust of her slice, Scootaloo turned to Dash who was finishing up her second.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash?" asked Scootaloo.

"Hrmm?" responded Dash, her mouth filled with the last bit of her second slice. After chewing a few more times she swallowed. "What is it?"

"Uhmm, I just wanted to say…" now it was time for Scootaloo to be touchy-feely. "I just wanted to say…thank you. Thank you for being my sister"

Rainbow Dash started to get choked up. If you told her that a simple orange filly she only really knew for a week and a half could melt her heart like that, she might have laughed like you had told the funniest joke she'd ever hear. But now she looked upon the little ball of joy she called a sister and smiled.

She reached over with her wing and pulled Scootaloo in close. "Don't mention it, Squirt" said Dash. They held this embrace for what seemed to them like hours. They pulled apart and Scootaloo popped the last bite of her pizza in her mouth.

Dash yawned, and lay back on the couch. She looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was almost ten o'clock. It was probably a good idea for the two to go to bed soon.

"Whelp Scoots, it's gettin' pretty late. You have a lot to think about tonight, and you have school tomorrow, so it'd be a good idea to get some shut-eye" said Dash "D'ja get enough to eat?"

Scootaloo nodded and got up off of the couch. Rainbow Dash reached over and closed the box, carried it over to her cloud-powered refrigerator and stuffed it inside. She walked over to Scootaloo who looked like she was about to fall over, and sleep right where she fell.

"Since I don't have a guest room or anything, you're gonna have to crash with me in my bed, that okay?" asked Dash.

Scootaloo nodded and followed her sister into the bedroom. Luckily the door was closed, so Tank wasn't able to tear it apart. Dash hopped up onto her bed and motioned for Scootaloo to join her. The young filly played it cool on the outside, but on the inside her heart was racing. She was actually going to sleep in Rainbow Dash's bed!

If a week and a half ago you would have told her that she was going to sleep in her idol's bed, she would have laughed like you had told the funniest joke she'd ever hear, but there she was settling in under Dash's covers.

"Goodnight, Rainbow Dash" said Scootaloo, already asleep as "Dash" floated out between her lips.

"Goodnight, Scootaloo" responded Dash, reaching over and stroking Scootaloo's mane.

She silently hoped her sister would pick flight; she really wanted a flying buddy…

She then lost herself to a peaceful sleep, and dreamed of the future.

_** Awright, there you have it, the Third Chapter. I know RD doesn't exactly have these parental instincts, but she's really just repeating what Rarity and Applejack taught her: be compassionate, understanding, and have a good laugh once in a while. More chapters coming soon!  
**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**The Nightmares**

The beautiful, dark night partially illuminated by Princess Luna's moon was breath-taking. The moon shone upon a particular cluster of clouds hanging in the sky. This cluster was the home of none other than Rainbow Dash, and on this night, Dash had a very important guest sleeping next to her.

The pegasus sleeping next to Dash was the lovable Scootaloo, who was pretty much a resized and recolored Rainbow Dash. She was daring, she was fast, and she loved doing tricks in the air just as much as her sister Rainbow Dash did.

The two simply lay next to each other, enveloped in a thick layer of blankets, and an even thicker layer of dreams.

The visions in the older mare's mind swirled into focus. She was galloping through a large field filled with a rainbow of swaying flowers in bloom.

She was quickly joined to the side by the special little filly that had become so important in her life recently. The two looked at each other, keeping neck and neck on this hoof-race, when they both unfurled their wings and took to the sky, claiming it as theirs.

It was just the two of them, enjoying the beautiful shining sun, both doing their own aerial stunts in the sky while smashing through clouds, popping them, turning them into nothingness. The cheers of their seven friends down on the ground were earth-shattering. Rainbow Dash felt as though she was floating in a sea of warm chocolate, not wanting it to end.

The two pegasi landed on the last cloud in the sky and claimed a moment to themselves. Dash engaged with her sister in a tickle fight, relentlessly attacking soft orange belly.

Then, out of nowhere, the orange filly stopped giggling, smacked the blue hoof off, and got up in one motion with tears in her eyes.

"How could you do that, Rainbow Dash?" screamed Scootaloo, the noise of her cries piercing the veil of bliss that shrouded Dash.

"I trusted you!" cried Scootaloo. Dash couldn't make sense of what was happening, her sense of peace broken.

"I never want to see you again!" screeched Scootaloo. Dash lunged forward and attempted an embrace, but her sister just jumped away, leaping off of the cloud. Dash peered off the side, but couldn't see her. She looked back to her friends who only stared daggers at Dash.

She tried asking what was going on, but even she couldn't hear her own voice. She was completely mute, and could only watch as her friends vanished one by one. Dash curled into a fetal position, sobbing from her overwhelming confusion.

The cloud underneath her burst, and she began to fall to the ground below. She did not try to use her wings; she just let the air rush past her face, and watched as the ground approached faster and faster.

As she hit the ground, she bolted upright in her bed, still foggy from her dream. She cradled herself, rocking back and forth, taking short, shaky breaths. She just stared on, trying to focus on a certain object. The doorknob held her gaze for a few minutes, and she sat there, not moving a muscle.

Eventually she calmed down enough to regain control of her body, and looked down at her sister. Luckily, she was still fast asleep. Clouds didn't really carry much energy around, so it wasn't surprising that Scootaloo remained in her dreams.

Dash slowly lay back down next to her sister and pulled her close. She wrapped her forelegs around the filly's body, and her wings followed suit. She wanted her sister to be as close to her heart as possible; she didn't want her to leave again.

After lying there, feeling her own and her sister's heart beat pulse throughout their bodies, and the warm breaths upon her front, she finally was able to settle back to a shaky form of sleep.

She didn't dream this time, and was thankful for it. She didn't want to go through something like that again.

The clock on the wall tick-tocked as it counted the minutes going by. The large hand had done a full rotation since Dash woke up from her dream when out of nowhere, Scootaloo jumped out of her dream, taking short, sharp breaths like her sister did an hour before. Her head and eyes swiveled about, taking note of her surroundings. After remembering she was having a sleep-over at her sister's house, she calmed down a bit, but only slightly.

Her close proximity to her sister woke her up. Dash shot out of her half sleep, and sat up with her sister, rubbing her back, trying to calm her down. "Scootaloo…Scootaloo, are you okay? What happened?" she asked. She knew her sister had a bad dream, and hoped it wasn't as bad as hers.

Scootaloo only sat there, taking those familiar small, shaky breaths. After a few minutes of comforting, She finally calmed down enough to be able to let go of her distress.

Scootaloo looked up from her mindless stare into her sister's deep cerise eyes, and began to cry once more. But this was a more controlled form of sobbing; she was able to speak now, and she tried explaining her reasons for her cries.

"Oh Rai-ainbow Dash-sh, I had the worst dream ever" she heaved out. She was hiccupping uncontrollably and was hardly able to stammer out her troubles. "It was r-really bad, I don't think I can t-tell you…"

"Scootaloo," started Dash, cupping her sister's face in her hooves "we've been over this. If you have a problem, then I need to know what it is so I can fix it, okay? Now tell me about your dream"

Scootaloo hiccupped a few more times, and sniffled a bit before beginning.

"Well, it started out with us-s j-just lying in your bed, talking, a-and laughing. It was a lot of fun," said Scootaloo pausing for a minute to recall the horrific hallucinations "then you p-pulled me in close, and you w-wrapped your arms and your wings around me, and I was h-happy! W-We just lied there f-for a minute, then you just…just pushed me off the bed…"

At this point, Rainbow Dash just sat there, stunned still and silent, listening to her story go from blissful to heart-rending. She listened on. "Y-Y-You got up a-and said 'come here'. I-I looked up and you were walking out of the room. I f-followed you and we walked out the front door, and then we were looking over the edge of your porch. You pointed down and said 'see that?' I asked what you were talking about and you said 'the ground, you see it?' I said yes and then…and then…I can't say it" said Scootaloo, looking at her sister's expression of disbelief.

"Scootaloo, please tell me," said Dash, snapping out of her trance "I want to help you, so just tell me what happened"

"Okay…okay. So we were looking over the edge, and you said 'you see the ground'. I said yes and you…got up and told me 'you belong there'." Dash perked up at this. This was getting really bad, but it wouldn't help if she stopped her, so she just listened.

"Y-You said that I belong on the ground," resumed Scootaloo "and then you…you just kicked me off the edge. I-I was f-falling, and s-screaming, and crying, and I looked up at you and you were just…just watching me fall. I hit the ground, and then that was it"

Dash just sat there, her hoof on her sister's back, motionless. After hearing her sniffle and hiccup, she pulled her in close, and they remained in their embrace for at least ten minutes. After rocking her sister back and forth, Dash pulled away, cupping her sister's face in her hooves once more. She finally broke the relative silence.

"Scootaloo, I want you to know something," said Dash, her words shaky "I will never, ever, ever do that, you hear me? Ever. That is about the worst thing I've ever heard, and I would never do that, okay?"

Dash didn't care at all if she was being "namby-pamby" or mushy or cutsie or anything of the sort. Her sister was in emotional shambles, and she was the only one with the means to fix it.

"I-I don't think you will, Rainbow Dash," said Scootaloo "it was just scary to watch it happen" Rainbow Dash looked down, carefully choosing her words.

"Okay, I think I know why you had this dream." started Dash "Deep down, you don't trust me" Scootaloo gave her sister a puzzled look, and Dash continued "You may think you know me, but you really don't. You know the public me, the big-headed show-pony with a bloated ego. You don't know the real me; The Rainbow Dash that comes out when ponies that are close to me are around. And you don't know what I am capable, or incapable of."

Dash thought for a second, trying to decide on whether her next move was a smart one or not. She eventually came to the conclusion that, while not smart, it was exactly what she needed to fix this problem

"So you know how I'm going to help you trust me?" asked Dash. Her sister looked at her, answering not with her voice but with her eyes. "I'm going to tell you one of my secrets"

Scootaloo just looked on, wondering what kind of a secret warranted this strange behavior. Dash inhaled deeply, like Scootaloo hadn't told her secret, Dash hadn't told anyone this secret either.

"So I'm basically like your only family, right?" asked Dash. Scootaloo nodded. "Well, you're kinda my only family too"

Scootaloo's ears perked up. What did she mean by that? "Wh-What do you mean I'm your only family?"

"I-I don't have parents either" admitted Dash. Scootaloo could only stare on in disbelief. "I spent most of my life in an orphanage too, but what makes me different from you is that I knew my parents"

Scootaloo's eyes widened. She thought she had it bad with not knowing any of her family, but here was Rainbow Dash who remembers hers.

"And don't start to think that they died or something noble;" Dash continued "I'm pretty sure they're still alive, and happy without me. My parents were cruel ponies, never appreciating me, or my attempts at flying. They probably never even loved me at all. They were always judging me for not being an early a flier as either of them."

Dash paused; this was getting difficult to get out. However, she pushed on; her sister was tough with getting her secret out, so she needed to be tough as well.

"The only thing they did for me that was any bit compassionate in the beginning was take me to a Wonderbolt Derby for my sixth birthday." Dash continued "You know I really thought that they were going to like me from then on, and be real parents, but no. As we were heading home, _walking_ home, my dad asked me if I saw the Wonderbolts. I told him I did, and then he said 'that's what flying looks like'."

Scootaloo's eyes widened a bit at this. She hadn't known that Dash wasn't a very good flier even at six. She suddenly felt as though they were even closer. Earlier, it really did seem as though Dash was being a big sister, but deep underneath the surface, it didn't seem too sincere. It seemed to Scootaloo that Dash was just being nice to a wayward filly. But now, with her and Dash sitting on her bed, both sharing their secrets, she felt like they really were connecting as sisters.

"The next day," Dash continued "they dropped me off at the Manehattan orphanage. I wondered why they took me to the surface for a while before I figured out that they did it so I couldn't come home."

Now it was starting to hurt Dash on the inside. A single tear streaked down her cheek, promptly being wiped away.

"Great, now I'm crying because of it." Moaned Dash "They're right, I am a…a worthless weakling"

Scootaloo stood up and hugged her sister around the neck. Dash returned it. It was Scootaloo's turn to be comforting.

"Rainbow Dash, you aren't worthless, I wouldn't call you my sister if you were worthless" said Scootaloo, using the same words her sister used a few hours earlier.

The older mare beamed with pride. Their relationship had reached unbreakable levels. They held their embrace for the next few seconds before pulling away. The two simultaneously lied back down, and Scootaloo shuffled up close into Dash's wings. They were soon off to peaceful dreams, their worries laid to rest.

Dash wasn't sure if she was ever going to speak of her dream, but she had a haunting feeling that it was going to come up somewhere in the near future.

_**Sorry to get all dark on you guys like that, but I needed a mood change. This story was only going to be small light problems that can be easily fixed by anyone. It takes someone close to disable that much tension.**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

**The Decision**

Celestia's morning sun shone brilliantly upon a town called Ponyville. There were many different kinds of buildings and homes here. However, one in particular was set literally above the rest. There drifted a large formation of clouds shaped to look like a gorgeous mansion. It had large, compacted cloud pillars, falls and fountains that ran with rainbows, and two very special pegasi snoozing on the top floor.

These two pegasi were adoptive sisters, but they were closer than any other pair in Ponyville, even above Applejack, notorious for her near impeccable sisterly guidance skills. The reason for this is that the two pegasi were alone in this world when it comes to family, save for each other.

The younger of the two with a coat of orange and a mane a deep purple was nestled into the arms and wings of the older who had a vibrant cyan coat with an extremely rare rainbow colored mane.

The previous night, the two sisters had had horrific visions of the other leaving them. Only one was known to both, however; the older pegasi's dream was kept secret, locked in her mind.

The mare's eyes began to flutter open, the sounds of her sister's cries still fresh in her memory. She lifted her head slowly, showing a wide yawn to the rising red sun.

She was never a morning pony, and this morning in particular was dreadfully slow. She hadn't had much sleep the previous night, only getting about four peaceful, healthy hours of it. She shook her mane about to get the sweaty clumps out, to no avail.

The cyan pegasus looked down at the orange one curled up next to her. The older's wings were stretched out, wrapping around her sister, creating a shield from the evil of their nightmares. She unwrapped and folded them back in, slightly wincing as her muscles were finally allowed to relax after being stretched out for so long.

After getting her wings comfortable, she gently shook her sister in an attempt to wake her. "Come on Scootaloo, time to get up, you have school today." She said, breaking through the thick cloak of sleep that enveloped her sister.

"Nngh, come on Rainbow Dash, five more minutes…" fussed Scootaloo, turning over. Dash gave a wry smile and exhaled sharply. Her sister was going to get up whether she liked it or not. After some struggling, Dash was able to get her sister securely on her back.

Dash strode out into her kitchen area, and flopped her sister down onto a chair. Scootaloo was now awake, but had her eyes half open. She got up in her chair and turned around to speak with her sister.

"Hey Rainbow Dash?" she began. Dash turned around with a box of Pony 'O's in her mouth which she retrieved from the pantry.

"Hermm?" she replied.

"I think I know what I want to do" said Scootaloo.

Dash was in the middle of pouring cereal into two bowls when she heard this. She set the box down, left the bowls, and walked over to an adjacent chair to hear her sister's decision. If Dash had fingers, they'd be crossed.

"Umm, I gave it some thought, and I decided," started Scootaloo. This was a big decision, possibly the biggest in her life.

"I've decided that I want to fly".

On the inside, Dash was overjoyed. However, she kept a calm collection on the outside. She wanted to hear her sister's reasons. "Oh yeah? What makes you want to give up scootering?" she asked.

"Because flying is what pegasi are meant for. I mean, what kind of pegasi would I be if I stayed on the ground, riding around on a slow scooter?" started Scootaloo "I don't think it's that practical compared to flying. I know it's what I do, and what allows me to pass the time, but if you think about it, flying is so much better. Plus, I get made fun of for it now, imagine what I'd get when I'm older." said Scootaloo, chuckling a bit at her last notion. She was playing it cool, but in her mind she was suffering from the knowledge that she would have to give up her hobby.

"And also…" added Scootaloo "I had that dream again…"

Dash's eyes ears perked. _Why did she have to go through that again?_ She wondered.

"But don't worry. This time, when I was kicked off," started Scootaloo "I flew". She gave a big smile, and continued. "I flew high above the clouds, zipping around and having fun, and being free."

Dash winced when Scootaloo said "kicked off", but she was happy to know that her dream turned from a heart-wrenching nightmare to a blissful state of joy. Dash reached over and tousled Scootaloo's mane once more. She got up, and returned to making the two bowls of cereal.

After pouring the milk, she grabbed one bowl and set it down in front of her sister who began to slurp at it hungrily. Dash grabbed her own and set back down in her seat.

She made sure she had Scootaloo's attention before shooting her a challenging look. The two pegasi's eyes narrowed as the idea for a food race crystalized in their minds.

At the sound of an imaginary whistle, the two began digging in ferociously, spraying milk and cereal about. After around thirty seconds, they both brought their empty bowls down onto the table at the same time. After holding each other's menacing gaze, their façades began to break down. They started laughing and giggling uncontrollably. After calming a bit, they got up and set their bowls in the sink.

After walking out to the front porch, Dash turned to her sister. "Alright Squirt, ready to go down?"

"Yeah let's hurry, I might be tardy if we don't leave now" replied Scootaloo.

Dash nodded, grabbed her, and fluttered down to the earth below. The surface was foggy, so it was difficult to make things out. After searching a bit, they found the tree that had the blue scooter propped up against it. Scootaloo walked over to her most prized possession, and rode it back to Dash with a sullen look on her face.

"You sure about flying? Like is that your final decision?" asked Dash. Scootaloo nodded and looked up at her sister, noting the apologetic look on her face. Scootaloo was beginning to like this side of Dash. Her sister was acting more compassionate towards her compared to how she acted two weeks prior.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm gonna miss my scooter, but I guess we all have to grow up sometime" said Scootaloo with a twisted look on her face.

"Well," started Dash "if flying is your final decision, then this is the last day you should ride that thing. We want your muscles to balance out as soon as possible, so keeping them immobile is probably a good idea. Come on, let's head into town, you're gonna be late."

The pair started out slow, but one look at each other made them put on another challenging face. Then they were off like rockets. The two faded into blurs resembling their colors, and Dash made sure they were neck and neck the whole way.

The sisters eventually reached town, where they immediately began to cause a rumpus. They narrowly missed several pedestrians on the way to the school house on multiple occasions, but they miraculously made it without anyone getting hurt.

The two skidded to a stop in front of the school house, and they immediately yelled "I WIN!" simultaneously. After holding another gaze, they broke down into laughter.

Scootaloo had had more bouts of laughter in the past several hours than she would normally have had in an entire week. She was really starting to like this new life of hers. After saying their good-byes, Scootaloo went into the large red building, and Dash took to the skies.

She had some work to do.

_**It might not be the choice you would have picked, but this is my story so deal with it. I apologize for not updating as much as I have recently, my schedule got super busy in the space of a couple of days. Please review!**_

**/)^3^(\**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**The Visions & Lesson Two**

Rainbow Dash soared through the skies at brisk speeds. She had always enjoyed her flying sessions, twisting and banking about in the air without a care in the world. However, she could not stay airborne forever; she had work to do.

The morning prior, Dash had told her flightless sister she'd give her flying lessons if she said she'd give up her scooter. She said she would, so Rainbow Dash was headed home after dropping her sister off at school to put a regimen together. After slamming the front door closed she strode over to her closet and, after sifting through the mess inside, she pulled out an old clipboard from her coaching days.

She saw all of the marks and dents from the years of use, and chuckled at the memories. She then thought of the lesson she gave Scootaloo the previous day. Dash chuckled at the little filly's face she could see in front of her from when she spoke of a sleep-over, then she walked over to her couch with a pencil, and began devising their lesson plan.

After pondering their moves, Dash decided that the best thing to do now was to show Scootaloo stretches that would set her wings right, and start trying to atrophy some of her muscles, whilst strengthening others.

After scribbling away on her papers, she finished stage one. First she would have Scootaloo do stretches that would balance out her wings, then she'd have her do exercises that worked the right muscles.

After they were finished with these, and Scootaloo's wing muscles were properly proportioned, they'd go on to stage two. It was simply do more exercises until her wings are strong enough to grant flight. And finally, maneuvering and navigation in midair.

Rainbow Dash sighed as she put the clipboard down on her kitchen counter. She hadn't been at it for more than a half hour before she was finished.

"I forgot how fast I was at writing these." said Dash to herself.

It was going to become quite boring in the near future. Ponyville was entering that scheduled season that didn't require a lot of cloud busting. Since busting was her specialty, she wasn't normally tasked with cloud placing.

She paced around her house looking for something to do, finally she gave up and decided to go out for a little fly around town, and find a good cloud to nap on.

After closing her front door, she cantered off the edge of her porch and entered a nose dive. She fell a long distance, and pulled up just at the last minute. The image of falling in her dream the previous night was still fresh, and her fall in reality transported her back to that place in her dream. She shook her head clear of the mirage and kept flying.

Something was nagging her in the back of her head but she couldn't quite place a hoof on it. It was like there was something she remembered, but nothing was there. All of these visions of her memories were fogging up her mind, and somehow clearing it at the same time.

Dash floated gracefully about until she reached town where she began to search for a good cloud to catch some z's on.

This was hopeless. All of the clouds were either too small or too thin to support Dash's nap. She decided to join a few together to create a platform large enough to hold her weight. After wrangling together a few wisps of cloud, she clambered upon the new formation.

Something about this cloud made her think of something. _What does this remind me of?_ She thought to herself. Suddenly a vision of her bawling sister appeared facing Dash, who yelped and buried her head in the cloud as she realized that this cloud made her think of the one her and Scootaloo had been on in her dream.

The nagging feeling in the back of her head started to get more intense. It was as if there was something she had forgotten to do, yet, there was nothing she could think of. She went over her imaginary to-do list in her head for a good fifteen minutes, finding nothing. Her list was empty as of now, the only thing she could think of was to go pick up Scootaloo from school for the real beginning of her lessons, but that was several hours away.

Dash buried her head deeper into the cloud in an attempt to stifle the memories and thoughts, but it didn't work. She groaned, and shot off of the cloud, turning her creation into wisps of air. She descended and went for a slow fly over Ponyville.

Today was like most days. The market-place was filled with kindly merchant ponies selling their produce. After flying for a bit, she found Applejack at her apple stand.

"Hey AJ" said Dash whilst approaching her friend "whatcha doin?"

Applejack snapped out of a stare and turned to her friend. "Oh nothin'" she said "jus' sittin' here sellin' mah apples".

"Oh" said Dash with another thought popping into her head "Hey, how's Granny Smith? Scootaloo told me that Applebloom had to stay home because she was sick"

"Oh yeah," replied Applejack with a weak smile "we got Nurse Redheart to look after her, so we sent Applebloom to school."

Dash sighed with relief. "Oh good, see Scootaloo got bullied yesterday, and her friends weren't there to back her up"

"She's bein' bullied at school?" inquired Applejack with an angry glare.

"It's fine, I took care of it" replied Dash "I don't think she'll be messed with again with Applebloom there."

Applejack sighed "Them young'ns are so violent nowadays" she said with a shake of her head. "So what brings yah here?"

Dash reeled back. She forgot her reasons for this confrontation. "Oh, just bored, I guess. There's nothing to do right now." she faked.

"Well, y'all could help me at mah apple stand here." suggested Applejack. Dash raised her eyebrows. Her friend should know her better than that.

"Sorry AJ, but that sounds even more boring than having nothing to do." replied Dash.

Applejack narrowed her eyes. "Oh" she said.

"Yeah well, see ya!" said Dash, taking to the sky once more. Applejack just shook her head again. Of course Dash wouldn't be able to sit still for the job.

Dash flew around for another while. These visions she had been seeing were starting to get to her. She wasn't schizophrenic, as far as she knew, but the images and sounds in her head were vivid, and seemed so real.

_Okay, Rainbow Dash. _She thought to herself. _Just keep flapping your wings, fly faster, and keep your head clear of everything else._

She tried focusing on her favorite pass-time, but she couldn't keep her attention on it. All of her mind was focused on thoughts of her sister. She was beginning to feel that nagging thing in her head throb, and it pulsed with every heart-beat.

Dash was beginning to get a minor head-ache, and as a result of it she couldn't focus on keeping flight patterns in a straight line. She almost smashed three vendor carts into pieces, narrowly missing them each time.

After careening about, Dash gave up. She shakily flew to a meadow to gather her thoughts. She landed on the tall, soft grass, and began to walk about in it. Something was here, something significant.

At that moment, Dash saw a vision of her sister running about, mouthing the words "Run with me!" Dash shook her head of this mirage. These little visions were starting to get on her nerves.

After walking about for a bit, she decided to lie down in an especially thick portion of the grass. Her biggest reason for resting was that her head was now pounding. What was that thing that she thought she remembered?

Dash began to hear her sister in her head. It began as whispers, but slowly increased in volume until they were full on shouts.

_ "Rainbow Dash, look!" _She'd hear in her head. _"Thanks for being my sister. Extra cheese! Horrible dream. Goodnight, Rainbow Dash. Wanna race?"_

These voices were terrorizing Dash, and were making her head spin. More and more of her sister's utterances flooded her head.

"_Come on, Rainbow Dash! I Win! Are they broken? Somewhere else. All alone. Your house is cool! Talking to a turtle. No parents. I love you, Rainbow Dash."_

Dash bolted upright. She hadn't remembered her sister saying that…wait…yes she does. She remembers hearing Scootaloo say it right as they were falling asleep after their nightmares. The chanting continued, but began to lose their randomness.

"_Really? A sleep-over with you? Somewhere else. No parents. No family. All alone. Somewhere else. Somewhere else. Somewhere else. I love you, Rainbow Dash."_

Dash took in a deep, sharp breath. That was what the nagging feeling was. She knew what she needed to do, and she wanted to do it quick.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX

Diamond Tiara wasn't in school that day, which set Scootaloo's nerves at ease. She was glad the self-proclaimed queen of the school was sick or something and couldn't terrorize her again. She was also happy that Applebloom was here today.

"Hey Applebloom!" said Scootaloo to her light-yellow coated friend "How's your grandma?"

Applebloom gave a weak smile. "Well" she began "she aint doin' the greatest, but she's definitely a lot better than she was a couple a days ago. We got one of them nurses from the hospital to look after her"

"Oh" replied Scootaloo. She was relieved that Granny Smith was doing better, but she was more relieved that her friend was back. "Well, I hope she feels better. Hey, have you heard anything from Sweetie Belle?"

"Nope" replied Applebloom "Haven't heard a thing. She's all the way in Canterlot right now, so Ah don't think we should expect much from her."

"Yeah, I guess so" said Scootaloo, saddened that Applebloom hadn't heard anything from the third crusader either.

"So what did Ah miss yesterday?" inquired Applebloom as the students were claiming their seats.

"Uhh…" replied Scootaloo. She had taken half the day off yesterday after Diamond Tiara and the other fillies had bullied her senseless at recess. She decided to suck it up and tell the truth. "I sorta…left early yesterday. Diamond Tiara got really annoying, and I couldn't listen to her stupid voice anymore, so I just left."

Applebloom's eyes narrowed. "What did she do this time?" she asked.

"She…she…" started Scootaloo. It was still difficult to admit her weaknesses to anyone, but a thought towards her sister's encouraging words made her stiffen her spine. "She made fun of me because I can't fly yet."

Applebloom's eyes and ears perked. "Oh Scootaloo, don't lissen to her, she don't know what she's talkin about. Don't worry, I'm sure y'all'll figure it out soon." She said as she placed a hoof on her friends back.

Scootaloo smiled as she thought of her situation. "Oh, don't worry about me, I can take it" she boasted "besides, Rainbow Dash said she'd teach me how to fly!"

"Wow, really?" Applebloom beamed.

"Yep! So I guess you could say she did take me under her wing, huh?

"Yeah, Ah guess she did" said Applebloom, defeated.

"You know what else?" said Scootaloo "Guess where I slept last night"

"…Where…" replied Applebloom, not understanding her friend's motives for her question.

"Rainbow Dash's house" gloated Scootaloo.

"Wow" said Applebloom, surprised at the level this sisterhood was already at. "You two must be gettin' real close now!"

"I know!" admitted Scootaloo, biting her lip in anticipation for what her sister had to teach her next. "I can't wait until we can do more flying lessons!"

The rest of the day dragged on. As usual, Scootaloo didn't pay attention to Cheerilee's lesson. She just looked out the window the entire time, dreaming of drifting amongst the clouds.

"Okay class, that wraps up todays lesson" said Cheerilee as the bell rang to go home "And remember, my little ponies, there will be a quiz on what we've been talking about next week, so study up!"

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. She had more important lessons to get to.

"Oh Scootaloo, may I speak with you?" asked Cheerilee as the orange filly passed by her desk.

"Uh, sure" replied Scootaloo, knowing it was going to be about her grades or something boring like that.

"You didn't come in after recess yesterday, would you like to explain your truancy?" she asked.

Scootaloo wasn't expecting that question, though it was obvious that she would ask it. She decided to swallow her pride just one more time for the day.

"Diamond Tiara made fun of me for not being able to fly at recess, and she got all of the other fillies to do it too. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle weren't there, so I was all alone." Admitted Scootaloo meekly.

"Oh my" replied Cheerilee "well I'll have this injustice corrected, okay? Now you run along home, Scootaloo."

Scootaloo waved as she left, and as Cheerilee watched her go, she heaved a heavy sigh as she had to endure Diamond Tiara's parents yet again.

Scootaloo was aboard her scooter, and was about to take off with her wings when she remembered her sister's words. She figured that she needed to get it back to the place she called home, so she just used her legs like she did the day before.

She was about to turn off toward her home when a cherished voice piped up.

"Hey Squirt, where ya goin'? I thought we were doing lesson number two today" said Dash, hovering above her sister with a challenging face on. Her heart melted again as she saw her sister's expression.

"Lesson two? Already?" Scootaloo asked. If her sister was going to do lessons every day, she might die before she flies.

"Don't worry, we're not doing anything too serious right now, I'm just going to show you some stretches and exercises that will, well, fix your wings." she admitted.

Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo then walked to the middle of a field, and the cyan mare began showing the orange filly the movements and stretches and how they were supposed to feel. After a couple of hours of lessons, the two called it a day.

Scootaloo turned off onto the road on her scooter, and headed back to the orphanage. She never truly enjoyed going there, but it was where she resided for the foreseeable future.

_**Sorry for the late update, guise. You all probably know what I'm foreshadowing here, but hush; no words. Just read when I get around to writing the next damn chapter.**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

**The Wings**

A few weeks had gone by since Rainbow Dash taught Scootaloo the stretches and exercises that would strengthen the flightless filly's wings, and in that space of time, Dash had gone to the Wonderbolt Academy, where she spent those few weeks training for her dream. Scootaloo was sad to see her sister go after getting so close, but she knew that this was Dash's dream, so she said her good-byes when she left, and waited for her to return.

Today was the day Dash was coming home from her training. With the training finished, the Wonderbolts were now in the process of selecting those few that really stood out. Her vigorous training sessions now over, Dash longed to get home as fast as possible to get on with the lessons she'd administer.

Dash bid her farewells to the friends she had made at the academy, and gracefully lifted off the tarmac. After casually flying off into the distance, away from the place where she usually kept a calm and dominant demeanor, she kicked it into high gear and frantically shot home. She didn't want to keep her sister waiting.

After flying at a brisk pace for a couple of hours, she finally saw her home, Ponyville, just over the horizon. Dash couldn't wait to get back to teaching her sister everything she knew, and one of those things she knew was that Scootaloo couldn't wait either.

Knowing her hyper-active pink friend would be throwing some kind of party, Dash decided to take it slow when approaching her cloud home. After landing her hooves onto her front porch, she contemplated her moves. She finally resigned, and decided to blindly walk through the front door.

She was expecting her friends to jump out and say "Welcome back!", but nothing could prepare her for the overwhelming amount of sensory information that was shoved in her face.

First, there were her friends and the Crusaders screaming "Surprise! Welcome back, Dashie!", then there was her entire living room festooned with all kinds of party decorations. Streamers, banners, confetti, balloons, and a cake the size of her couch was set upon the coffee table.

But most importantly, a small orange filly was galloping at full speed towards the returning pegasus. Scootaloo leapt the final few feet and tackled Dash to the ground, giving her the biggest hug her little forelegs could muster.

Dash returned the hug, and they remained in their embrace for a few moments before the two let go and stood up.

"I'm glad you're back, Rainbow Dash" said Scootaloo

"Me too Squirt, me too" said Dash. She tousled her sister's mane. The seven assorted ponies, including Rarity and Sweetie Belle who had returned from vacation, were staring at the two pegasi with accusing smirks.

"What?" asked Dash. The other ponies just giggled and rolled their eyes, and Dash closed the front door. They all knew Scootaloo was something special to the rainbow mare.

The next few hours played out like most Welcome Home parties. Dash was asked a multitude of questions, and she tried answering them as best she could. She was a bit exhausted after her flight, but she was hardened from her lifetime of athletic exertion, so she knew she could keep going for hours if needed.

As the sun set, the once mountainous cake had been devoured and reduced to crumbs. Most of it was put away by the sugar filled tornado of pure ADHD known as Pinkie Pie, and the punch bowl was drank from until dry, along with the other three bowls.

Nearly everyone had left, with only Dash and Scootaloo remaining. They were both lying on the couch lazily; looking at the meter wide cake tin that was still set on the coffee table.

After sitting there for a while just listening to each other's slow breaths, the older mare broke the silence.

"So Squirt, how have you been getting along with your flying?" Dash asked.

"Uh, pretty good," replied Scootaloo, snapping out of her daze "I've been doing all of my stretches and everything every day since you showed me them, and I really think I'm making progress!"

"That's awesome!" said Dash "Here, let's see your wings"

The two heaved their cake filled bodies off of the couch, and Scootaloo raised her left wing to show Dash. Remarkably, her muscle sets were already how they were supposed to be.

"Wow," said Dash with a very impressed tone "you really have been doing them, huh?" Dash tried turning the orange wing forward; evoking a pained response from her sister when she got them pointed downwards just the tiniest bit.

"Ow" squeaked Scootaloo "yeah, I have. You told me that this sort of thing takes perseverance, so the exercises were pretty much the only thing I've been doing besides school, sleeping, crusading, and eating. And I can't ride my scooter anymore, so it wasn't like I had anything better to do, right?"

Dash let go of her sister's wing and looked her in the eye. There was just something about Scootaloo that made Dash proud to call this filly her sister.

"Humph," said Dash "well, since you have your wings how they should be already, I guess we can go on to actual flight training, and see about getting you off the ground." Dash tousled the purple mane again. After a short yawn and a glance at the setting sun, she continued.

"I'm bushed after that trip home" said Dash. She smiled at her next thought. "How about you stay here tonight? My return _is_ a special occasion, after all." She bragged.

"Wait hold on," piped Scootaloo "could we do one more thing before bed?"

Dash turned back to her sister. "Uh sure, what do you wanna do?"

"Umm, I was just thinking that, you know before the sun sets and all, we could go out for a short flight maybe? I wanna know what going really fast feels like, so I can know what I'm aiming for."

Dash wasn't sure if she could muster the energy, but the look on her sister's face sealed her fate. "Uh sure, why not?"

The two sisters strolled out onto the front porch, and Dash motioned for Scootaloo to climb on her back. After getting a good hold of her sister, Scootaloo was ready. Dash took off slowly; she didn't want Scootaloo falling off.

"Oh come on, Rainbow Dash, let's go fast!" challenged Scootaloo.

"You sure?" asked Dash "You might fall off-"

"I'll be okay, I'll hold on tight. Just go fast, please." Pleaded Scootaloo.

"Okaayy…" replied Dash. She wasn't sure if she could keep her sister on her back at high speeds, but she was being issued a challenge, so she went with it. Dash began to accelerate slowly at the beginning, but a rumbling groan from her sister was the last straw. She then rocketed away, creating that signature rainbow trail behind her.

After continuous acceleration, they were approaching the kind of speed that granted a Sonic Rainboom. _What am I doing?!_ Said Dash to herself. She then stopped accelerating, and kept a constant speed.

The rainbow streak was slicing through the air, flashing by behind layers of cloud. Then, things started to go wrong. Scootaloo was beginning to lose her grip. Dash could feel the tiny hooves slipping, but she was too late. Before she had had a chance to slow down, the orange filly disappeared from her back.

Dash flared her wings out, slowing to a hover in seconds. She scanned the surrounding area, below, all around her. After finding no orange or purple, just white, Dash began to worry.

"SCOOTALOO!" she shouted into the clouds. She began to turn fiercely, focusing on portions of the clouds surrounding her, then quickly darting her eyes to focus on another portion of the sky.

"SCOOTALOO, WHERE ARE YOU?!" she was now going into full panic mode. Her sister had probably already hit the ground, her life ending just as it was beginning to get better. The empty feeling of her bare back where her sister used to be was sending chills throughout her body.

Images of her sister's twisted body lying motionless on the blood-spattered grass began to flood Dash's mind. There's no way her sister could be dead. Dash began to black out, but something pulled her back into consciousness.

"Told ya I'd be okay"

What? Was Scootaloo's voice now haunting Dash? No, it couldn't be, the sentence was so clear. Dash began to look around on the clouds immediate to her, but finding no orange fillies. Dash was starting to think that she _was_ schizophrenic, but she dismissed that notion.

She began to pick up on this strange buzzing noise, but couldn't pinpoint its source. Dash looked in all directions for this new noise, but couldn't find it.

"What's the matter, Rainbow Dash?"

There it was again. This time Dash could tell from where it was coming. She slowly raised her head to look above her, and found the source of the voices and the buzzing noise.

There was that special orange filly, floating above Dash with her hind legs crossed, forelegs behind her head, and wings buzzing like a hummingbird.

Dash could only stare, dumbstruck and unbelieving of what her eyes were telling her.

"You okay, Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo asked, releasing her relaxed demeanor. Dash was silent, her eyes just staring blankly at Scootaloo.

"Uhhh…Rainbow Dash? You there?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yo…you're…" stuttered Dash, finding her voice "you're f-flying!"

"Yep!" responded Scootaloo, relieved to see her sister was okay again. "I've been persevering as much as I can, and look at what I have to show for it! This…is…so awesome!" Scootaloo did a couple of spins in midair.

Dash could only stare; this was too much to handle. Scootaloo could already fly? Dash supposed she should stop underestimating her sister's ability to amaze.

"Yeah, it is awesome! How long have you been flying?" asked Dash.

"Actually, I JUST figured it out just this morning! Still can't believe the timing!"

That was a relief. At least Dash could still be there the _day _Scootaloo started flying, but somehow she felt empty inside. It was like she missed out on a huge milestone in her sister's life.

"Well, I…I guess we don't really need to do anymore flight lessons, huh?" said Dash "Now we can just get on with teaching you some cool tricks!"

Scootaloo gasped. "Yes!" she exclaimed while doing a backflip "When can we start, tomorrow?"

"Sorry Scoots, not tomorrow," apologized Dash "I have way too much stuff to get caught up on. First I gotta unpack, then check back in with the Ponyville weather team, and pick Tank up…just a lot of things that need doing. Sorry Squirt, maybe next time."

Scootaloo's face fell. She really wanted to spend more time with her sister, but she understood that there were other things that _needed_ doing. She heaved a great sigh, and sat on a nearby cloud.

Dash fluttered over to her to do yet more consoling. "Hey listen, as soon as I have everything back in order, I'll be able teach you some tricks, okay?"

Scootaloo sniffed, and looked up at her sister. "Okay…" she said.

"Now come on," started Dash "let's get to bed, I'm really tired."

The two got up off the cloud. Their heads slowly swiveled and their eyes met. The familiar look in the two sister's eyes foreshadowed coming events. Two pairs of wings shot up, and they were off.

Scootaloo, having only been able to fly for a few hours, was pretty slow. Dash knew this, so she just kept a steady pace with her. After zipping about in the sky, bursting clouds and twisting in midair, they arrived at the beautiful cloud home.

Dash walked through the front door, followed by a panting Scootaloo. "Don't worry, you'll get faster. But not as fast as me!" boasted Dash after closing the front door.

Scootaloo giggled between her huge breaths, and the two walked through Dash's bedroom door, and jumped onto the bed. Scootaloo didn't think she'd need to sidle up into Dash's arms, she wasn't sad or anything, but the older mare reached over and pulled her in close.

At that point Scootaloo knew she'd be with Dash forever.

_**You all KNEW I'd make her fly, but I don't think you thought I'd do it that soon. More chapters coming up!**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

**The Promise-Breaker**

The placid Friday morning sky was red with the rising sun. Shadows were cast about the land from the clouds hanging in front of the giant ball of life giving energy. One shadow in particular was in the shape of the home where Rainbow Dash and her sister, Scootaloo, were slumbering.

Like the previous occasion where Scootaloo had stayed the night, she was nestled up close in the arms and wings of her older sister. She didn't think she would ever get tired of the feeling of Dash's body enveloping her own.

The morning sun's rays slowly found the two dreaming, peaceful faces, and lit them up. The cyan coated pegasus began to stir. She didn't like the sun being in her eyes on an average day, but she absolutely loathed it in the morning.

After waking enough to be aware of her surroundings, Dash lifted her head and showed the sun a great yawn and an even greater grimace. She laid her head back down, but she couldn't fall back asleep.

She lifted her head again, then slowly lifted her wing, revealing a dreaming filly. Dash smiled at her sister, and placed a kiss in the middle of the magenta mane. After thinking about it a moment, she reeled back. This was strange. Dash normally had to think about her actions when showing affection or love toward her sister, or anyone for that matter. But the kiss she just gave was completely without thought.

Dash didn't quite know what to think about this new development. She normally hated anything that was touchy-feely and mushy in nature, only making an exception for the few occasions with her sister because of the absolute need for it. She was a bit disappointed in herself for being weak, but at the same time, she was overjoyed to know that she was still capable of showing love. Dash now realized how important Scootaloo is to her; it isn't easy to break all of the layers of brash boldness that surrounded Dash's affectionate side.

The rainbow mare simply watched her sister breathe. The two pegasi simply lay there; the older awake the entire time. Before she realized it, the sun had fully risen. Dash snapped out of her daze, and shook her sister violently.

"Scootaloo, wake up! You're gonna be late for school!" She yelled.

Scootaloo, upon hearing these words, bolted upright.

"What?!" she exclaimed "Not again! Cheerilee said that if I'm tardy one more time, I'll be sent to detention!"

Scootaloo then clambered out of the giant cloud bed and rushed out the door with Dash in pursuit. They strode out into the living room, and Scootaloo's face twisted to look like she just saw a ghost.

"Great" moaned Scootaloo "my saddle bag is all the way across town in my room. I should have known you'd have me sleep here yesterday."

Dash's ears went back in disappointment.

"Sorry, Scoots" she apologized.

"It's okay, it isn't your fault. I just don't know how I can make it back to my room then to school before it starts. I can fly there myself, but I don't know if I would make it in time."

Dash smiled. This was her responsibility now.

"Well," started Dash "I know _I _can make it there and back in the space of about a minute, so if you need a ride…" she then pretended to inspect her hooves for dirt.

"Yes! Rainbow Dash, please may I have a ride home then to school this morning? I promise not to ask for any more" plead Scootaloo.

Dash reached over and ruffled the magenta mane.

"Sure, and don't worry about needing rides or anything, that's on me" said Dash.

The front door burst open as the cyan mare with an orange filly clinging to her neck rocketed out towards Ponyville. Scootaloo made sure to hold on this time, there wasn't any room for jokes.

After Scootaloo pointed the orphanage out, Dash descended to meet the ground. It was a large, wooden building with its name on a sign in the front. Scootaloo jumped off Dash's back, and fluttered up to the window connected to her room. After a moment, she reappeared with her saddlebag.

"Uhm, Rainbow Dash? I think I can make it on my own the rest of the way. I wanna show everypony that I can fly!" said Scootaloo.

Dash smiled, her sister's urge to impress was palpable, as it was in her. Dash kept finding more and more similarities between the two, each discovery strengthening their bond.

"Sure," responded Dash "wanna race there?"

Scootaloo thought about it for a moment.

"When don't we race?" she asked

"Good point" replied Dash as she unfurled her wings and got into a start position. Scootaloo did the same, and soon they were off.

The two sisters flew high and low, and through trees and clouds, speeding along the whole way. After playfully flying about, searching for the school, the final stretch became visible. They both kicked into high gear and dashed for the finish line.

Several schoolchildren were meandering about in the front of the school, heading inside for their lessons, when one grey filly noticed two fast looking projectiles heading right for the school.

"Who are those two?" asked Silver Spoon, pointing in the direction of the racing pegasi. Five other fillies, along with Diamond Tiara, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, looked up at the two blurs.

"Whoever they are," replied Diamond Tiara "they look stupid, racing to get to school."

As they were approaching the school, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo flared their wings and jammed their hooves into the earth and mud, spattering the grey and pink unexpecting fillies with muck.

"I WIN!" the two pegasi yelled simultaneously, mimicking their previous race to the school. They held yet another gaze and then giggled again like before.

"Alright," said Dash after regaining her composure "see ya later, Squirt!"

Scootaloo waved goodbye, then looked over at the two brown lumps with glaring eyes poking out the fronts and started giggling again.

"Sorry guys, I guess I was _flying _too fast!" boasted Scootaloo as she walked past the gaping mouths of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.

Scootaloo then trotted over to her friends who were in a similar state of shock.

"That was you?" asked Sweetie Belle

"You can fly?" asked Applebloom

"Yep and yep!" replied Scootaloo. She loved every moment of shared amazement by the onlookers.

"Jeez, and this is all from Rainbow Dash teaching you?" asked Sweetie Belle "I gotta get Rarity to show me how to use magic"

The three Crusaders giggled as they walked into the classroom. Dash watched Scootaloo go and took note of the personality type the two pegasi shared. She was about to turn and flutter away when Cheerilee who watched the whole thing walked up to Dash.

"Hello, Rainbow Dash, may I speak with you?" greeted Cheerilee with a smile.

"Oh, hi Cheerilee, what did you want to talk about?" responded Dash.

"I find it remarkable that you took your sister 'under your wing' so to speak and taught her how to fly in such a short time! You truly do know what it means to be a sister" said Cheerilee.

"Oh, thanks." replied Dash "Really all I did was show her some stretches and stuff that straightened out her wings. She did the rest on her own."

"My, I wish I could get her to put as much effort into her school work as she does with other things. I'm sure she's a hoof-full at home!" joked Cheerilee.

"Oh, uh, Scootaloo doesn't live with me, she just visits." Said Dash, her thoughts starting to churn and bubble over again.

"Oh, I suppose I shouldn't have said that. Her situation at home is a bit of a secret."

"Yeah, I know it is, she's told me too, and honestly, she deserves better than that."

Cheerilee sighed. She was glad she hadn't just let her student's secret slip.

"Well," the school teacher said "I just assumed that she was living at your house. You two seem so close, and a lot alike as well."

"Yeah we do," replied Dash "well I guess you need to get inside to teach her stuff now, so I guess I'll take off. See ya Cheerilee!"

Dash unfurled her wings after the school teacher bid her farewell, and took to the sky. She was fully aware of impending stressful complications, but her mind was surprisingly clear. She really didn't know what she was going to do about this idea she had in her head. If she told someone, then she'd be a liar. But at the same time, her sister would be so much happier. After contemplating her actions, she decided to go ahead with it.

"I guess it's time" she said to herself.

Dash glided down to meet the earth in front of a huge tree that has been carved out to serve as a library and a house. This amazing work of architecture was the home of her friend Twilight Sparkle. The cyan mare slowly walked up to the big red door, and hovered her hoof in front of it. She was having second thoughts about this.

If she told this secret, Scootaloo might not forgive her. The orange filly might run away and never love Dash again, just like in the nightmare she had. Dash just kept her hoof raised as if she was going to knock on the door. She kept that position for a few moments before lowering her hoof, sighing, and walking away. After a few steps, she tightened her face and walked back to the door only to give up and walk back again.

Dash turned back to the door and went up to it. This was it; she was going to do it. She'd just walk in there and talk with her magically gifted friend, and be done with it. _No_ she thought _I can't do it_. She was about to turn away when a young scratchy voice made her jump out of her skin.

"Uhh, Rainbow Dash? What are you doing?" the voice asked.

Dash turned to find a purple dragon with a paper grocery bag in his hand. He was looking at Dash inquisitively, wondering what she was doing.

"Oh, hey Spike," said Dash, donning her usual 'cool' demeanor "I was just here to see Twilight" she smiled on the outside, but was panicking as she realized that her fate was now sealed.

"Okay, come on in! She's just doing some reading right now" said Spike as he opened the door "Hey Twilight! Rainbow Dash is here to visit you!"

Dash walked into the main room with all of the books stacked upon shelves. Her purple friend then came cantering down the stairs.

"Oh, hello Rainbow Dash, what brings you here?" asked Twilight.

Since Dash was rushed into this after focusing all of her mind on her decision, she hadn't formed the words yet. She finally was able to stammer out the reasons for her visit.

"Uhh, I was here to uh, ask a um, question" stuttered Dash "do ya got a minute?"

"Sure, what's your question?" asked Twilight.

Dash didn't know how to word this. "Uhhm, okay, so if your friend tells you a secret, and they trust you to keep it, would it be okay to tell the secret if it means they'd be happier?" she asked.

Twilight reeled back and narrowed her eyes. "Rainbow Dash, if you're planning on breaking a promise to keep a secret by telling me, don't. I don't want any part of it, so don't drag me in."

"But…" protested Dash "I know that if I tell the secret, it'd make my friend a lot happier! I want to tell somepony, but at the same time, I don't want my friend to be mad at me. I know it's the right thing to do, but I don't know if I can do it."

"Rainbow Dash, I told you. Don't tell me the secret. If you tell me, then you break your promise. If you break your promise, you might lose your friend forever." said Twilight. The two ponies stood and waited, listening for their pink friend. After a moment of silence, Twilight continued.

"If that's your only question, then I'm going to have to return to my studies. Princess Celestia assigned me half a dozen books to read, and I have only just finished the second one."

Twilight turned and started walking up the stairs back to her study room. Rainbow Dash's window of opportunity was closing. She needed Twilight to help her with her problem, so the adrenaline that was being pumped through her veins made up her mind for her.

"I'M SCOOTALOO'S ONLY FAMILY AND I WANT TO ADOPT HER FROM THE ORPHANAGE SHE LIVES AT!" Dash bellowed.

The cyan mare looked up and gazed at nothing. Had she actually told the secret? She looked as though she just saw all of the horrors in the world in the space of three seconds. Dash hated herself for breaking her promise to Scootaloo, and immediately regretted it. It was done, however, there's nothing she could do to take it back.

"What?" asked Twilight who paused halfway up the stairs.

"Scootaloo's parents are dead, and I'm all she has right now. She lives at an orphanage, and I want to get her out of there." Dash admitted.

She sat on the floor and buried her head in her hooves and began to emit small, dry, heaving sobs.

After sitting there a moment, she felt a hoof rubbing her back. Dash looked up to see her purple friend standing over her with a weak smile.

"Well," started Twilight "I guess it's out there now, so there's no use in thinking about it. What I want to know is why do you want tell me?"

Dash's mouth was still covered by her leg, so her voice was a bit muffled. "I need your help in getting effrything set up" said Dash.

Twilight smiled as a purple aura appeared over her horn. A thin green book then floated from one of the bookshelves and was held in place above the two mares.

"This book will tell us everything we need to do" said Twilight, placing the paperback in Dash's hooves.

"Adoption Process in Equestria" said Rainbow Dash, reading the title of the book. Dash looked up at her friend, and smiled. "Thanks, Twilight"

"You're right, this is the right thing to do" said Twilight. The two ponies looked down, and started reading the protocol Dash would need to follow if she was going to make her sister's life get even better.


End file.
